Sports
Bronze medalist learned to row in St. Paul
The course Twin Cities native Micah Boyd chartered to land him on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Rowing team started in 1997 when he was a sophomore at Central Senior High in Saint Paul.
Eleven years later, the 26-year-old rower sat in the fourth seat of the U.S. Men’s Eight shell, or boat, as it battled with Great Britain and Canada in the final 500 meters of the 2,000 meter race. The U.S. team had the fastest time in the final 500 meters at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park in Bejing, and took the bronze medal.... Read more >>
Visiting the house that Babe built -- one last time
This year, many sports fans, particularly baseball fans, are making the trip to one of the world’s most historic sporting, before it closes forever at the end of the season. Yankee Stadium. Legends such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris, and many more have played on the field of Yankee Stadium since it opened in 1923.
While a new Yankee Stadium is set to open next season, many Yankee fans don’t want to abandon, “The House That Ruth Built.”... Read more >>
Pushed to the breaking point
High school athletes continuously battle challenges to manage time, improve their game and be competitive. In the process, they have to hope they don’t push themselves too far too fast and wind up with a serious injury.
That’s exactly what happened to Stephen Weiss, an 18-year-old soccer player at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He wound up tearing the medial collateral ligament in his knee when he came back too fast after the initial injury during a high school conference game. ... Read more >>
Winning submissions for the Coach story competition!!
In response to ThreeSixty’s first writing challenge, 71 teens submitted short essays about coaches – good or bad- who made a difference in their lives. Entries came from students throughout the Twin Cities and made judging a challenge for both the staff and Editorial Board. The winning entries were a tie between “Life is Hard” by Ahmednur Abdi Hudle, a student at Ubah Medical Academy, and “Not just the blind kid” by Kris Mitchell, a student at DeLaSalle. Six additional entries will receive honorable mention and $20 gift cards. All entries will receive a very cool ThreeSixty T-Shirt. Enjoy reading them all. Watch here for the next writing challenge in a couple of weeks.
Eden Prairie football coach stresses teamwork and preparation
Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant has a desk job as the high school’s athletic director during the day, but on Friday nights, he leads his top-ranked high school football team onto the field as their head coach. ... Read more >>
Portrait of a Soccer Coach: "It's a family matter"
Sharon Swallen may be the Mounds View varsity girls’ soccer coach, but her players know her better as a “mentor, friend, big sister,” and sometimes, even a “mom.”
Blonde and youthful, Swallen is in touch with the fickle psyche of teenagers. She gently nurses a cup of coffee and explains how she manages four kids under the age of seven and an entire gaggle of girls.
“I am highly organized,” Swallen said, “and I really believe in communication. I’m straightforward, honest, and approachable. I work extremely hard and really take pride in our team on and off the field…I couldn’t ask anything of the players I wouldn’t do myself.” ... Read more >>
Lessons from the Field
A coach's influence continues long after the last whistle is blown
Genesis McCoy, a junior at Roseville Area High School, has learned a lot from her track and basketball coaches. “A good coach sets the tone and expectations from the start,” she says. “They point out things and say you’re not going to be doing those things or you will not play on this team.”
Other lessons are not so positive. Listen to ESPN for long and you’ll hear the commentators blaming coaches – including elite high school coaches – for teaching top young athletes the wrong lessons. Those millionaire athletes who are flashy and arrogant show bad examples of sportsmanship and take the attention away from the team effort, they complain. Read more >>
HOT TOPIC SIDEBARS:
Eden Prairie football coach stresses teamwork and preparation
Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant has a desk job as the high school’s athletic director during the day, but on Friday nights, he leads his top-ranked high school football team onto the field as their head coach. Read More
Portrait of a Soccer Coach: "It's a family matter"
Blonde and youthful, Swallen is in touch with the fickle psyche of teenagers. Read More
